Big Black slowly rolled to a stop, and Zhang Wei's group of four got out from the front of the vehicle.
"I'm Qi Baijia, the officer leading this mission."
Qi Baijia looked stern as she gave a crisp military salute—sharp and striking.
"Nice to meet you, looking forward to working together." Zhang Wei nodded, then turned around and gave Ma Qingyang a cheerful, bro-like hug.
Beside them, Lin Xiao spotted Di Susu, and his eyes instantly lit up. He stared at her, frozen in place, then shyly lifted a hand. "Sis Susu."
"Little Lin‑lin~"
Di Susu ignored him completely, stepping past the stiff‑faced Lin Xiao. She walked up to Li Yalin with a bright smile, reached out, and squeezed Li Yalin's cheeks. "Haven't seen you for a while—you've become even prettier."
"Get off me, we're not close."
Li Yalin flicked away Di Susu's mischievous hand, brows raised in irritation.
Di Susu didn't mind. She scanned the group curiously. "Where's your mechanic? Where are you hiding him?"
Li Yalin folded her arms, face cold, refusing to answer.
Zhang Wei stepped in. "He's tired and is sleeping in the vehicle."
"This car is…?"
"Our logistics vehicle," Zhang Wei said proudly, straightening his back immediately.
Ma Qingyang and Di Susu's teammates all looked at the vehicle with envy, casting resentful glances at their own captains.
We want a logistics vehicle too…
Qi Baijia clapped her hands. "Alright, it's getting late. Let's move."
A military train was parked at the station. They weren't taking a plane this time but travelling by land. Forty field operatives were joining them—well‑trained soldiers busily loading crates of ammunition and firearms onto the train.
With many roads abandoned, the Six Nations had invested heavily in developing railways. Military trains used exclusive lines and travelled faster than civilian ones. They would reach their destination in three days.
The first five carriages contained the driver's cabin, two living quarters, a dining car, and a weapons storage car. The remaining carriages were open‑air platforms for transporting vehicles. Li Yalin drove Big Black onboard, and the operatives locked it down, covered it with dust cloths, and secured everything tightly so it wouldn't blow away in the wind.
Once everyone was on board, the military train rumbled to life, departing the eastern checkpoint and rolling into the dangerous, sun‑scorched wildlands.
…
Xiao Han felt the vibration as he slept and woke up.
Soft white lights glowed from the lamps fixed to the ceiling of the cargo car, illuminating the surrounding space. Everywhere he looked, cold machinery of all shapes and sizes filled his vision—yet the sight brought him comfort.
He pressed his thumb and forefinger hard against the acupoints beside his nose, finally feeling awake. Opening the cargo door, he found himself in a fast‑moving train. The wind roared at him, tossing his messy hair. The metal platform under his feet shook constantly with the rhythm of the tracks, and the thunderous clatter of the train filled his ears as it sped forward.
Above, the sky shimmered with stars, a hazy moon hanging like mist.
Hills rippled in the distance; wild grass swayed across the barren land.
"Did I sleep for a whole day?"
Xiao Han stared blankly for a moment. Under the lights ahead, he walked into the next carriage. Before entering, he put on his simulation mask, switching it to the first memory slot—an ordinary young man's face. Then he added a face mask on top. No surprise there—he was always cautious.
As he stepped inside, the wind noise vanished instantly. The sound of lively chatter washed over him, making him feel as though he'd stepped out of a primitive wilderness and back into civilisation.
The moment Xiao Han entered, everyone stopped talking. Dozens of eyes landed on him, filled with curiosity and scrutiny.
Di Susu was the first to rise. Swaying her slim waist, she walked elegantly towards him, her breath warm and fragrant. "You're Xiao Han?"
"You've got the wrong person," Xiao Han replied casually.
He wasn't about to answer every question thrown at him—how embarrassing would that be?
Everyone stared.
Yeah right—who else could you possibly be when we're all here?!
Di Susu froze. She'd only wanted a casual opening line, but his reply completely threw her off. She didn't know how to continue.
Li Yalin, seeing the "scheming Susu" take a hit, brightened immediately and waved vigorously. "Bro Xiao, sit over here!"
Xiao Han nodded and sat beside Zhang Wei and the others. Li Yalin leaned over and whispered into his ear, delighted: "Nice one! You totally embarrassed that scheming Susu!"
"Sex hormones?"*
Xiao Han froze.
What kind of girl used a name like that?!
"That's her—Di Susu. A despicable, shameless, unreasonable woman!" Li Yalin gnashed her teeth.
Xiao Han narrowed his eyes. "Why do I feel like you're describing yourself?"
Lin Xiao agreed wholeheartedly, but didn't dare say a word for fear of being beaten. He only looked at Xiao Han with eyes full of admiration—truly worthy of being Brother Xiao, fearless, saying whatever he wanted, utterly carefree.
Seeing Li Yalin and Xiao Han acting somewhat close, Di Susu's expression shifted slightly, a hint of anger flashing in her eyes.
Beside them, Ma Qingyang extended a hand. "Mate, first time meeting—I'm Ma Qingyang."
Xiao Han, while casually enduring Li Yalin's furious seven‑hundred‑and‑twenty‑degree waist‑twisting pinch attack, shook his hand naturally. "Strictly speaking, we've never met."
Ma Qingyang blinked, then glanced at the mask on Xiao Han's face and gave a helpless laugh. "Fair point."
Qi Baijia clapped her hands. "Alright, now that everyone's here, I'll run you through the details of this operation. Field operatives, please step out for now."
The operatives knew the protocol and promptly left the carriage. The environment immediately quietened, leaving only the three covert operation teams and Qi Baijia.
Qi Baijia cleared her throat, took out a stack of intelligence files, and spread a map across the table.
"This mission is a joint operation with the Haixia Military Intelligence Division. Haixia's troops are stationed along the border and can deploy at any time. Our task is infiltration and reconnaissance—gathering intel on the enemy's defensive layout to support their forces."
"This map was sent by Haixia. Dark Raven Valley has terrain that's easy to defend and hard to attack. Dense forest cover prevents aerial drones from locating the base. Their military strength is unknown, and the exact location is unknown—ground infiltration is the only option."
As soon as the mission was mentioned, everyone became serious.
Di Susu tapped her finger on her brow and frowned. "Sounds like a heavily fortified stronghold. Why can't Haixia's forces just attack from the ground?"
Qi Baijia shook her head. "They don't want to."
Everyone immediately understood.
Haixia always operated based on benefit—they would never spend more effort than necessary. With the situation unclear, they would never send troops into unexplored territory and risk unnecessary losses. These kinds of high‑risk, lead‑the‑charge, life‑on‑the‑line missions were exactly what the Covert Operations Division specialised in.
Li Yalin snorted, unwilling to lose momentum. "So where's the breakthrough point?"
Qi Baijia nodded at the map. "On the west side of Dark Raven Valley is a large wanderer settlement called Ravenwood. The fact that it dares to exist near a Sprout base means there must be secret dealings between them. There could be Sprout spies hiding in Ravenwood—we may be able to obtain intel there."
"According to higher‑ups, there are three key figures in the Dark Raven Valley base."
Qi Baijia distributed the files. As everyone lowered their heads to read, she summarised:
"Chief Supervisor: Pan Kuang, male, 35, East Asian, E+‑rank martial artist, Sprout executive officer. Weapon: a blade. Nickname: 'Sword Soul'. His most recent recorded achievement was three years ago—on the Tirius border, he single‑handedly killed twelve Tirius agents, four of whom were super‑humans."
The photo showed an expressionless, unremarkable‑looking man, yet exuding a ferocious aura.
"Tough customer," everyone thought at the same time.
"Deputy Supervisor: Ji Jie, male, 29, mixed East‑West descent. Very little data. Only known detail: he seems to be related to Ji Nuo, leader of the Wind Eye Organisation."
"Security Captain: Duomeng, 43, from Shanu. A firearms expert, elite‑level operative, formerly the commander of a Night Owl squad."
Ma Qingyang frowned. "I thought we didn't know anything about Dark Raven Valley's internal situation? Where did all this detailed intel come from?"
Everyone had the same question.
Qi Baijia shook her head. "No idea. Higher‑ups said it's classified."
Everyone murmured an "oh" and didn't press further.
Xiao Han scratched his ear.
The source of your 'classified intel' is sitting right next to you, comrades…
Qi Baijia continued explaining precautions, then shifted the topic. "For this joint operation, Haixia will also be sending a Military Intelligence Division squad. Once we arrive, they'll act with us."
Zhang Wei's face twitched. "Two nations' operatives working together?"
Qi Baijia coughed awkwardly. "Yes."
What a recipe for disaster!
Haixia had already taken Star Dragon's intel and still wasn't satisfied—they clearly didn't want to commit their own forces, so they insisted Bureau 13 send people too.
Everyone exchanged looks. Relations between the two nations were far from friendly, and their intelligence units were openly hostile. This mission was starting to look extremely troublesome.
To Xiao Han, none of this intel mattered much. He yawned and looked out of the window—and suddenly his eyes narrowed. He cut off the discussion and shouted sharply:
"Beast attack!"
Everyone froze, still reacting when—
The train jolted violently. They almost fell over.
At the same time, a blood‑curdling scream erupted from the carriage behind them—an operative's dying cry!